Hoshi Kara Dākuboidokurīchā
by Medalis
Summary: After overexerting his own powers, Meta Knight finds himself stranded on an alien planet, far away from his own. Drastically weakened, he's given to a local prince as a pet. What's a warlord to do? Major AU, MK/Marth.
1. Chapter One

AN: I must admit, it's been a while since I've attempted to put up a multi-chaptered fiction.

This fiction is based on a fictional planet that combines several different series - it combines _Kid Icarus_, _Legend of Zelda, _and _Fire Emblem. _The latter of the two is the main setting - I have yet to play any of those games, so all my information is based of basic knowledge of medieval/Holy Roman culture and information from Wikipedia. A lot of the characterizations will likely be off - my apologies for that, and feel free to tell me so I can attempt to fix it.  
While this fiction is based in the above planet, Meta Knight is (obviously) a alien. He's also not the nice, peaceful, kid-friendly Meta Knight of the Kirby Anime.  
I'll likely have more information on my profile - but this is the basic information that's needed to read.

Creative criticisms are appreciated - but so are regular reviews. Thanks for reading, and enjoy the crazy AUness!

_Obviously, no characters are mine - background characters included. _

* * *

_**Hoshi Kara Dākuboidokurīchā  
Chapter 1: Sutākurīchā**_

He couldn't _believe _this. Did fate get a kick out of toying with him?

The Halberd had crashed – that much was certain. He was unfortunate enough to be _in_ it at the time, and warping out was the only he was to be able to survive. He didn't really even care where he warped – he just had to get _out. _

Part of him was pleased – he'd never been able to warp off-planet before! The rest of him was cursing his misfortune of somehow stranding himself on a foreign planet.

That wasn't even the worst of it – drawing on such large amounts of Dark Matter had drained his energy to the point where it was impossible to move. All he could manage at that point was sleeping.

All that, as Dee would put it, _sucked, _but waking up in a completely unknown room wearing a bell around his midsection? _That_… that just took the cake _(figuratively)._

He still couldn't move, either. Galaxia's comfortable weight was gone from his side, and his wings were strapped closed. Not that would've been able to do much of anything much, even if they were open…

He cursed his misfortune – loudly, and with plenty of words he would never even dare breathe around Dee.

**

* * *

**

Marth was confused, to say the least. His Father groaned, rubbing his forehead. The King was uncomfortable, that much was obvious.

"You spent so much time with your mother, I… assumed you would enjoy someone other than her or your sister for company." The King explained, rubbing his forehead. Marth said nothing – true, he was depressed over his Mother's death, and true, he was lonely. But he had expected his Father to simply brush that off and tell him that men don't cry or something.

"Several of the soldiers found it, unconscious, near the forest. It's harmless – and since you seem to have a love for feminine things, I assumed it would make a good pet." The King paused, glancing at him. "Well? Do you have anything to say?"

Marth shook his head, but bowed quickly in thanks. The King sighed again, waving him away. The Prince walked away from his Father, still frowning.

Was his Father playing some sort of prank on him? For as long as he could remember, the King was always chastising him about his non-masculine nature – he flinched, remembering the time his Father caught him trying on one of Mother's old dresses. _That _hadn't been a pleasant experience.

Perhaps this was his Father's way of coping with Mother's death – trying to take better care of his children. He couldn't be sure – he had no idea how his Father's head worked. Nonetheless, he was curious about this creature his Father was talking about.

He quickly made his way to his room, nodding to the various servants who paused to bow to him. Even if he didn't want to talk to any of them, it was polite for him to at least respond to them.

Finally, he may it to his own room, quickly opening and closing the door. His room was just as he left it – with the exception of a strange little creature sitting in one of his chairs. He walked forward, leaning on his knees to get a better look at it.

It was small – if standing right next to him, it might reach up to his knees. It was round, and colored a rich blue that was similar to his hair. Armor covered most of it – two shoulder pads on what must be its shoulders, large purple and black armored shoes on its feet, and most noticeably was a large silver mask on its face. A large, pitch black slit was centered in the mask – that was probably where its eyes were. On its back was a pair of large, leathery bat wings that were strapped together with leather straps and metal clasps. His Father, or one of the soldiers, had apparently wrapped a bell around its head.

He reached a hand out, fingertips touching the metal mask. It was cool to the touch, and smooth. His hand drifted upwards, towards the blue area of the creature. It was skin apparently – and had both a soft and leathery feel to it. The wings were the same – he marveled at the texture. It was _fascinating_.

He glanced down to see pair of eyes staring at him – again, he marveled, for these eyes were unlike any he had seen. Gold, like the color of starlight, stared blankly at him. The slit gave them a slanted, angry look. He removed his hand from the large wing, leaning back on his heels.

"Hello there." His voice was rough from disuse – he hadn't spoken a word since his Mother died. "I'm Prince Marth Lowell. Do you have a name?"

The creature didn't respond, staring at him with an unreadable look in its eyes. Marth waited, but no response came. The prince sighed, standing up. He picked the creature up, marveling at how light it was, and put it down on his bed. He flopped onto the bed, rolling over to look at the strange creature. It had fallen onto its side, meeting his gaze. Chuckling softly, he picked the little creature up and sat it up so it wouldn't fall.

It was a bit unnerving how limp and yielding the creature was – could it move? Could it be a plush toy that had been animated by magic? That would explain its strange appearance, but a quick glance eliminated that idea – he could see no seams or threadwork. If he listened hard, he could hear it breathing – that took out any ideas of it being reanimated by magic.

But what was it? It resembled no creature he had ever seen. Although, he noted, it had wings similar to that of a dragon or a bat, and eyes as large as an owl. Could it have been created by magic? If so, why?

Perhaps he'd ask Elice later – she might know, being a magic user herself. He rolled over and off the bed, leaving the little creature there. Looking back, he noticed its two golden eyes following him. He sighed, entering his wash chambers and closing the door.

**

* * *

**

He felt insulted, and mildly confused. But at least this encounter answered a few questions.

This planet was inhabited, and maybe ruled, by humans. They were taller than the few that resided on PopStar and Mekkai, but it was still obviously a human.

These humans spoke a language he didn't really understand. No doubt, if he spoke, the human would not understand a word he said.

And, apparently, the blue haired human thought he was a pet of some sort. Just thinking about himself that way made him ill – he was a feared Batamon warlord! Stupid humans, taking his sword. Once he got it back, he would make them _pay_ for this.

… Once he managed to get back enough energy to move.

With nothing else to do, he turned his gaze to a window. He couldn't see much, but from what he could tell, he was in a castle. Outside, he could see a bunch of small wisps of smoke, signifying a small village around the castle. Beyond that, a large wall. If he focused, he could see tiny little pinpricks of light – stars. The sight made his wings ache.

The door that the human had disappeared through opened, and the human walked back out, wearing a long lilac dress-like garment. The tiara that rested in the human's hair was still there – he almost snorted at how feminine this human was. Then again, for all he knew, this human could be female.

The human ran a hand through its hair, slipping under the satin white sheets and purple quilt. It reached down, picking him up (inwardly, he cursed the human's existence and promised revenge), and held him to its chest. His wings were pressed flush against soft, satin material that sent a tremor up through his body. His wings were incredibly sensitive – only natural, so he can sense air changes and such while flying. But that made them weak to attack, and even just touching them sent shivers through him.

The human pressed its chin against the top of his head, wrapping long arms around him. He felt blood rush to his face – no doubt, he was blushing brightly under his mask. Thank goodness for his armor. The bell was humiliating, but at least they didn't remove his armor.

The human's breathing grew slower, until it was soft and shallow. He figured the human was asleep – silently, he cursed the human for treating him like some sort of _pet_ or toy. He promised himself that, once he grew stronger, he would rip this human to shreds. Top priority – mentally, he shoved Dedede down and stuck the human in the first slot.

The human let out a quiet murmur, nuzzling against his head. He twitched, staring longingly at the window.

**

* * *

**

Morning came, as usual. Marth curled against the warm body against him, nuzzling against it. Slowly, his eyes fluttered open, being drawn from the land of dreams. He glanced down at the blue and silver ball curled against his chest, frowning in confusion before the events of yesterday returned to him.

Silently, he glanced over the little creature's head to check the mask slit. Two golden eyes floated there, staring blankly ahead. His hand drifted across the creature's bound wings, feeling a soft tremor rush through the small armored creature. Those bright gold eyes flashed towards him, staring through the pitch black slit.

"Morning." He smiled at the little creature, which looked away with what sounded like an aggravated sigh. He tilted his head, rolling off his bed. He walked over to his dresser, pulling out a blue and gold tunic and a pair of long pants. Walking into the washroom, he locked the door and pulled his nightgown off.

The soft fabric dropped into a basket over yesterday's clothing. He sighed, pulling the fresh pair of pants on. The tunic slipped easily on, hiding his pale, feminine body from view. He walked out of the washroom, running a hand through his hair.

The little creature had not moved – he wondered if it could. He kneeled by the bed, and the little creature looked up at him. He smiled, standing back up and sitting the little creature so it was in a more comfortable-looking position. Walking over to a wardrobe, he grabbed a belt and strapped it on. A quick glance in the mirror assured him that his crown wasn't crooked.

Once he was sure he was prim and proper looking, he turned towards the bed. The little creature looked out at him from the corner of the mask slit, staring blankly as he walked over to it. Kneeling slightly, he picked up the little creature, smiling softly at it. He couldn't be sure because of the natural shape of the creature's mask, but he swore it was glaring at him.

"Come on, my sister ought to meet you… she might know what you are." He quietly said, holding the creature up to his face. It stared blankly at him. Sighing, he held the creature to his chest, opening his bedroom door and walking into the hall. A few passerby servants looked up, bowing, before staring in shock at the little creature he held to his chest.

He waved off their confusion, making his way pass them towards the Royal Library – no doubt, his sister would be there. She liked to spend her time sorting and decoding through the library's ancient scrolls. He couldn't quite get why, as it seemed incredibly boring to him.

He opened the immense doors to the Royal Library, stepping inside and closing the door behind him.

The Royal Library was a tall, circular room, with stained glass windows and tall stone bookshelves. There were several balconies, one for each level of the room. A circular staircase stretched to the top of the room, connected to each level's balcony. There were several large, blue cushioned chairs scattered around the room, and a few wooden tables.

He couldn't see his sister, meaning she was probably on one of the higher levels. Glancing down, he noticed the little creature he held in his arms was glancing quickly around the room, a strangely shiny look in its eyes.

"Elice? Sister, where are you?" Marth called out, looking around. There was a crash, no doubt from a pile of books falling over, and then a blue haired female poked her head over one of the higher level's railing.

"Is something wrong, brother?" she responded, echoing through the large room. Likely, she couldn't see the little creature in his arms very well – Elice had never had the best eyes, which came from too many late nights reading by candlelight.

"I would like to show you something. Can you come down?" she nodded in response, disappearing behind the railing. Marth turned, walking towards a chair next to a table. He sat down, sitting the little creature on the table.

He turned at the sound of heels against wooden steps, watching as his sister walked quickly down the stairs. His older, nigh identical sister rushed over, holding her skirts up so she wouldn't trip over them. She stopped in front of the table, finally noticing the little round creature he had sat up on the table.

"What is this creature?" she asked, cautiously leaning closer to the little creature.

"I'm not sure – Father gave it to me as a gift. He said his soldiers found it near the forest. He wasn't sure what it was either." Marth explained. His sister leaned closer to it, her nose almost touching the creature's mask. He almost chucked at the sight of the creature crossing its eyes to look at her.

Elice turned away, running up the stairs again. He watched, waiting – then she rushed down the stairs again, clutching a thick and heavy book. She laid it on the table next to the creature, and opened the heavy cover. A large plume of dust rushed out from the book, making the prince and princess cough. The creature simply continued to stare.

Elice flipped through the pages of the tomb, glancing up at the creature every once in a while. After a while, Marth stopped really paying attention. He glanced around, before inspecting his nails. A loud _**thunk**_snapped him out of his daze, rapidly looking up at his agitated-looking sister.

"There's nothing in here about this thing." She said, poking the little creature. It seemed to glare at her. "Absolutely nothing – I've compiled nearly every species, dead and otherwise, in this book. Whatever it is, it hasn't been seen before."

"Could it have been made by magic?" Marth asked, glancing at the creature's leathery bat wings. Elice pondered that for a moment, before sighing and flopping down onto the chair next to him.

"Maybe – but I'm not sure." She said. "There's something… odd about it, I can sense that much."

"Odd as in…?" he pressed for more information, leaning forward. She glanced at the creature, staring at its wings.

"Odd as in odd. As in something that doesn't belong on this world." She said, reaching out to touch the creature's wings. They twitched in response, and the creature gently shuttered.

"This thing… it could be an angel of some sort. I've read that they take many forms. Perhaps it's your guardian." She said, leaning back against the chair. She brushed a few strands out of her face, glancing at her nigh-identical brother.

"Whatever it is, it must have come to you for a reason." Elice finished, sighing. Marth was silent, staring at the little creature.

His guardian angel? The little creature didn't seem to be able to move! And didn't angels have feathery wings?

Marth sighed, rubbing his forehead. He stood up, picking the little creature up and setting it in his lap. His sister watched as he ran a hand down the creature's wing, making the little creature shutter. The sight was similar to that of someone petting a dog or a cat – except the cat or dog was a round blue creature with wings.

Neither spoke – Marth was mulling silently over his sister's words, and Elice had pulled another book out to read. Looking down, he noticed the creature's bright golden eyes had vanished, replaced by the inky blackness that dominated the rest of the slit. He sighed, running his hand over the creature's blue skin again. The texture was _fascinating_.

After a while, the door opened and Marth's tutor walked in, glancing around. The prince sighed, standing up and following his mentor. He carried the little creature in his arms, hoping that his mentor wouldn't make him return the creature to his room. Even if it wasn't his guardian angel, it made him feel better – well, better compared to how he was when his mother died.

**

* * *

**

He supposed that the human dragging him along was a good thing – his species was naturally very adaptive and good at copying others, and the more time he spent listening to the humans talk, the more he learned about their language. He wasn't as good at adapting as, say, Kirby, because of a genetic mutation – but he was good enough at it that he was quickly beginning to understand a few things about the humans.

Judging solely by the castle itself, he assumed that this was not a very advanced group of humans. They were even less reliant and advanced when it came to technology than Dreamland – and _that _was saying something. Judging by the humans, it was a monarchy-styled government – many of what appeared to be maids and butlers addressed the human as '_lord_' or '_your majesty'_. He hadn't translated the human's name yet, but it seemed to be similar to '_Marx'_ or '_Mars'_.

He listened quietly to what appeared to be a lesson in what looked like mathematics – very basic mathematics, nowhere near the complexity he had been taught on Mekkai. It almost made him chuckle – what primitive humans!

He had slipped into something of a half-sleep – still listening and decoding the human's language, but asleep enough that he was slowly recovering some of his lost energy. He didn't trust the human enough to fall into a deep slumber.

After who knows how long, the human picked him up again, rousing him from his half-sleep. He glanced up at the blue haired human that had apparently deemed itself his 'owner', sleepily blinking his eyes. His mask's HUD informed him it had been several hours since he had last looked at it. He ignored it – most of his equipment had shorted out or started to malfunction after he warped himself her, including the radio. This planet wouldn't have the technology available to fix any of it, so he was on his own.

It held him to its chest, opening a door and walking out into a hall. He could only watch as he was taken back to what appeared to be the human's bedroom, and sat down on the bed. He was thankful, at least, that the human was taking care not to lay him on his delicate wings – even though the human had a habit of petting and touching them.

The human looked at him while tugging a belt tied around its waist off. It walked over to a bookcase of some sort, pulling one of the dusty tombs from its shelf, before walking back over to the bed and flopping down. He did nothing as the human tugged him into the crook of its arm. Inwardly, he was glad that ages of working with machines had pretty much destroyed his sense of smell – the humans on this planet probably didn't have showers or baths. _Ugh. _

It was surprisingly quiet – other than the sounds of work outside and of people walking by the door, there wasn't much in the way of sound. He appreciated the silence, but inwardly he longed for the clanking of metal against metal and the hiss of steam… It was only natural, he supposed – he grew up with those sounds, and had had them all his life. Now he was on some desolate, primitive planet with only one way home…

The human sighed, closing the book it had been reading and laying it on a nearby bed stand. It stood, walking over to what he assumed was a bathroom of some sort. Glancing outside, he noticed a few stars were beginning to shine in the rapidly darkening sky.

Time passes quickly here, he noted. It might be just him – he _has _been sleeping and dozing off more because of his lack of energy… but compared to a day on PopStar, this world's day felt like a matter of hours. They must orbit quickly around their star, he figured.

The door reopened, and the human walked back in. It was wearing the same lilac dress from last night – if he remembered correctly, it was called a '_nightgown'_… The human walked over to him, lying down next to him and turning him so his wings were to the human's chest. He tried not to gag as the human ran a hand down his wing.

"あなたはどこから奇妙な来るのか... ...？" the human murmured, a hand drifting over the clasp holding his wings shut. '_Where did you come from, strange one…?' _ came the translation. The human's voice, male with a hint of a high feminine octave, was soft and sad.

The human held him close, shuttering against him. It was a strange feeling against his wings – a large, slim chest heaving behind him, and something wet like rain dripping onto his head… the human let out a choked sob, pressing its head against his.

A wave of pity rolled through him – was the human _crying? _Had he done something wrong? It felt… strange. Dee was the only person he had ever pitied like this, and she was a special case… Silently, he relaxed his already limp body and let the human hold him close and cry.

The sobs slowly disappeared, replaced by heavy breathing. A quick glance out of his mask's visor confirmed that the human had fallen asleep. He returned his gaze downward, glancing at the arms enclosing him like a prison. He wished he could move – very tight spaces never sat well with him. Oh well – he figured he might as well try to move. He felt a little stronger, perhaps from all the sleeping he's done.

All he managed was a wiggle, but it was enough to loosen the human's arms so he wasn't claustrophobic. Still, a victorious feeling rushed through him – he finally had managed to move! It wasn't much, but it was still something.

Now, all he had to do was wait for the rest of his strength to come back…


	2. Chapter Two

Chapter two is up! I'm still working on Chapter Three, so that might take some time to get out. Chapters One and Two were both written well before I posted them, which is why they're up so quickly. I'll try to get Chapter 3 out by next Tuesday, but I'm not promising anything.  
And here enters the only vaguely original character in the story - the High Priest. I don't know if Fire Emblem ever had a 'High Priest', and I really have no idea how a Priest should act or even how religion works (I'm a atheist), so forgive me if I muss up something. But in this case, as much as I hate it, religion plays a small part in the plot.  
Also in this chapter is a cameo of several different characters - I'm sure you'll all recognize at least _one _of them, even if he isn't referred to by name.  
As always, creative/helpful critiques are welcome.

_No characters belong to me - all I own is a Meta Knight plushie and a non-working game. _

* * *

_**Hoshi Kara Dākuboidokurīchā  
Chapter 2: Shitsumon**_

Several days passed. Marth noticed that, every time he woke up, the little creature was in a different position. Quite often, usually on the nights where he didn't cry himself to sleep, the creature would have moved farther away from him. But when he was crying… the creature seemed to be more willing to let him cuddle. Was it pitying him? _Could _it pity him?

He wondered if it was growing used to him – he took the little creature with him everywhere, except into his changing room. Quite often they would go back to the library, where his sister would continue looking through the books to find out just what the creature was. They hadn't had any luck.

Inwardly, he continued to wonder about his sister's words – it _was _possible that the creature was an angel of some sort. It certainly didn't resemble any of the white-winged, cotton robed, haloed humans that the High Priest spoke of every five days. Perhaps he should ask the Priest himself when he had a chance – maybe he would know.

Marth sighed, pouring another jug of hot water into his washtub. Normally a servant would do this, but he wanted to be alone… then again, he noted as he cast a quick glance at the creature sitting on a nearby chair, he wasn't actually 'alone'.

He stood to his full height, rubbing his head. He walked over to the creature, picking it up and turning it so it faced away from him. It didn't feel as yielding and limp as it used to – perhaps the creature was learning how to control its own body?

Walking back over to the tub, he removed his clothing, dropping it into a basket nearby. He even removed his precious crown, placing it delicately on a stand next to the tub. He slipped into the large marble tub, sighing as the warm water washed over his pale form. Taking a cotton cloth, he began washing off his arms and legs.

He found himself glancing over to the creature, eyes falling on the leather and metal strap that held the creature's wings closed. It looked heavy – did it hurt to have that around what must be fairly sensitive appendages? At least, he thought they were sensitive, considering how it reacted when he touched them… Absently, he remembered an old children's story where the hero defeated a dastardly dragon by tickling its wings with a feather – it had always been one of his favorite bedtime stories, along with Anri and the Falchion.

Sighing, he rolled over in the bath so he was facing the ceiling. He felt the water lapping at nearly every inch of skin, covering him like a blanket might. It was pleasantly warm, which was a nice contrast to the cold, early spring air. Hopefully, the winds would change soon, and bring the warm updrafts of late spring and summer.

Glancing back over at the creature, he noted how large its wings were. Could the creature fly like a bird? It didn't look like it could… but, why would it have wings if it couldn't? Then again, turkeys and chickens have wings, but they can't fly…

He sighed again, running the cloth over any parts of his body he had missed. The water was beginning to make his skin feel uncomfortable, and it was getting cold. He stood up, carefully gripping the edge of the tub and lifting himself out. Reaching over to a nearby shelf, he pulled a large cotton cloth out and wrapped it around himself.

He glanced at the creature again, noting that it had seemed to have shifted enough to stare at him from the corner of the metal slit. Perhaps it was starting to be able to move… he walked back over to it, turning it around again so it was facing away from. He sighed, stepping away and grabbing a tunic and a pair of trousers.

Dropping the large cotton cloth, he pulled his clothing on – he smiled softly at the smooth and warm silk fabric against his slender body. It felt great – he was vaguely reminded of his mother's dresses back when he was a child, and how he loved to just curl into the cresses and draping fabric.

He paused, eyes misting over at the thought of his mother. He reached up and rubbed at his eyes, wiping away small salty tears. He finished buttoning his tunic up, occasionally reaching up to wipe at his eyes again.

Turning around, he noticed a pair of bright golden eyes staring at him. He sighed, rubbing his forehead and walked over to the (rather stubborn) little creature. He kneeled down, looking eye-to-eye with the little creature. On the way there, he picked his crown up and placed it back on his head.

"You _do _know it's impolite to look at someone, be it man or woman, when they are indecent, right?" Marth asked, poking the creature's metal face. He swore he heard a sound, almost like a chuckle, come from inside the metal slit. He sighed again, running a hand over the creature's wings as he stood up. The wing twitched, and the little creature stared up at him in a manner that seemed unhappy – then again, because of the naturally slanted slit, the little creature's eyes always manage to look angry.

He grabbed a belt, tying it around his waist. "I can't help but wonder about you, little creature. Where did you come from? _What _exactly are you? Why are you here?"

He swore the creature rolled its eyes at him, but again, he couldn't be sure. He kneeled in front of it, lips tugging in a quirky smile.

"If anything… you certainly are adorable." He giggled, patting the little creature on the head. He thought he saw its eye twitch. Smiling, he picked the little creature up and walked out into the hall.

Even after all the time the creature had been in the castle, the servants were still unused to the prince carrying it around. Most of them stared at the creature with wide eyes, returning to their work only when the prince had disappeared down the hall.

Noticing one servant that was different than the rest – wearing a gentle blue and white robe-like garment, instead of the typical light blue tunic or dress – he considered stopping by the High Priest at that moment. He himself had a lesson later that day, but his sword trainer probably wouldn't mind him not showing up – knowing his quirky sword trainer, the poor man was probably lost in the forest again. He stopped the robed servant, noting that the servant gave the creature nestled in his arms a curious glance.

"Excuse me, but is the High Priest busy?" he asked the servant, who shook their head.

"No, your majesty. The High Priest was in his cathedral, last I saw him. I believe he was praying." The servant explained, eyeing the little creature curiously. "Forgive my forwardness, your highness, but what in the world is that?"

He glanced down at the little creature, which was staring at the servant with a decidedly bored look in its eyes. He sighed, shifting the little creature so he had a firmer grip on its sides.

"I wish I knew." Was all he said to the servant, before bidding the servant _goodbye_ and _thank you_ and continuing down the hallway.

The trip to the town's cathedral was uneventful, to say the least. Unfortunately, the only way into the cathedral was through a well-worn path in the village – he wasn't sure he was ready to bring the little creature through the village, because of its rather… creepy appearance. They might think it was a monster or demon, and he had no desire to deal with panicking and rioting villagers.

So he had found a large basket, one usually used by warriors to carry weapons. It was large, and the little creature fit perfectly in it – although, it definitely glared at him when he accidently closed the basket top on its wing.

It was awkward carrying it through a part of the village, but none of the villagers said anything – they did give him some curious looks, but no one spoke up. For that, he was thankful. He almost fell over when a child chasing a dog ran by him, but a helpful grab from the child's mother stopped him from falling on his precious cargo.

When he finally made it to the cathedral, he almost breathed a sigh of relief. No one was inside the large white and brown building, which made talking and showing the creature to the High Priest much easier.

The inside of the cathedral always made him look around in awe – it was very large, but also fairly simple as far as cathedrals go. The walls were left unpainted, while the ceiling had been covered in paintings of angels and stars. The benches were plain wood, lined with white cushions.

Many of the windows were stain glass – some depicted a swordsman that resembled himself, others had a sword and shield in them. The largest was of the swordsman, holding both the shield and sword, accompanied by a young angel. Behind them was the visage of a green haired woman, surrounded in a halo of light.

An old white and blue robed man was at a podium, flipping through the pages of a book. Marth walked down the aisle, a feeling of dread winding through his gut – what if the little creature _was _some sort of monster?

The High Priest glanced up from his book, staring at him for a few moments, before closing the book and stepping down from the podium. He curtly bowed, shaking the prince's hand.

"Your highness Marth… what might I do for you?" the Priest croaked, his voice similar to that of an old creaky chair. Marth set the basket holding the little creature down, laying it on a bench.

"It is a long story, High Priest." Said the prince, gesturing to the bench. The old man nodded, hobbling over to it to sit down.

Marth sat on the other side of the basket, explaining everything to the High Priest. The old man listened, nodding, but never interrupting. That was one of the reasons he had always liked the old man – the High Priest was a good listener, and very honest and kind.

He sucked in a breath, waiting for the old man to speak. The High Priest's foggy eyes were staring at the basket, probably thinking. He ran a hand over the lid, and glanced back up at the Prince.

"Go on – open the basket. Let me see this creature you speak of." The old man said, softly. The Prince nodded, unlatching the basket top and picking up a _very _annoyed looking creature from within. Its golden eyes flicked over to him, definitely narrowed in agitation.

"Sorry – but I couldn't let the villagers see you." He apologized, rubbing the creature's wings. He swore he heard it growl.

The High Priest narrowed his foggy eyes, pursing his lips in confusion. All was silent in the cathedral as the old man inspected the creature, a wrinkled hand running over its skin and armor. Finally, the old man rose from his seat, joints creaking like a rusty door. He limped over to a small shrine under the large stained glass window. Marth stood, carrying the bored-looking creature over to it.

The High Priest shakily opened a box, and pulled a gilded bow from it. The Prince tried not to gape – it was a beautifully crafted bow, made from what looked like blue-colored metal and gold. He saw no tool marks, nor any scratches of any sort. Glancing down, he noticed that the creature's eyes had widened and seemed to sparkle.

"This…" the High Priest began, foggy eyes glancing up at the stained glass window. "Is the bow of the Angel of Light that was sent to help King Anri defeat the Dark Dragon. When Anri died, the Angel took him to Heaven, and left this bow behind so we remember their journey."

"You see, it was created by the Goddess, so any evil or demon shall be repulsed by its power." The High Priest motioned for the Prince to place the creature on the table. He did so, sitting it up in what looked like a comfortable position. The High Priest held the bow out, and touched the creature with the sharp tip. Marth covered his eyes with his hands, inwardly readying himself for a bright burst of light…

After a few moments, nothing happened. The Prince lowered his hands, staring at the creature. The bow's tip had disappeared into the shadows of the mask slit, and the creature had gone cross-eyed to look at it. The High Priest blinked, pulling the bow away from the creature. Its eyes uncrossed, and it looked at him with an unimpressed look in its eyes. If it could speak, he would bet it would be saying '_Is that it?_'

"… So, it's not a demon?" Marth finally managed to say. The High Priest nodded, reopening the box and placing the bow back inside. The Prince noticed the creature's eyes following the bow until it disappeared back into the box.

"It is no demon, nor a monster created by black magic." The High Priest clarified. His foggy eyes drifted back up to the stained glass window, and he let out a sigh.

"Could it be an angel…?" Marth dared to ask – if the creature wasn't a demon, it _must _be a heavenly creature of some sort.

The High Priest looked back down at the little creature, before turning back to the Prince. The old man sighed, smoothing a bit of his robe down with his trembling hands.

"I doubt. It seems benevolent, but it does not resemble any form of angel I have known or heard of. It could be a fairy, or…" the old man croaked out, bowing his head.

"… Or?" the Prince echoed, worry seeping into his tone. A quick glance at the creature, and it seemed to be listening to the old man.

"Or it could be something other than an angel or beast." The old man looked back up, not at him, not at the stained glass window, but at the ceiling – in particular, the stars painted there. "We know not what lies in the skies above us – perhaps it came from somewhere there. Or, maybe, whatever may lie beyond that."

The Prince didn't know what to say to that – for ages, his people (himself included) had been taught that the sky ended a few thousand feet up, and beyond that was the Gods' domain. Beyond that… nothing. To hear a different view – from the High Priest, of all men! – was jarring, but it made him think. He seemed to be doing a lot of thinking lately…

"Sometimes, when I search the heavens, I see lights. Not the stars, but from moving things." The old man's voice was little more than a whisper. Marth glanced back up, before picking the creature up and holding it to his chest.

"Maybe it's my eyes deceiving me, but I wonder if those lights are not angels, but something else…" the old man trailed off, hands folding over his midsection. Marth got the picture that the old man was finished speaking for now, so he bowed in respect – and thanked the old one for his advice and help.

He placed the creature back in the basket, much to its apparent chagrin. Hauling the basket onto his back, he made his way down the hall.

"Prince Marth…" he stopped at the High Priest's creaky voice, turning to face the old man. The old man was, rather impressively, surrounded by the stained glass windows' light, turning his pale skin and faded robes a mired of colors.

"Whatever that creature is – be it angel, demon, or star-creature – I must warn you… it is very weak at the moment, but even as I speak, it is restoring its power. Its aura speaks of a powerful creature." The old man continued, shifting where he stood. "One that could potentially destroy us all. I suggest you try to stay on its good side, and be careful… your majesty."

The Prince was silent for a few moments, before smiling and nodding to the old man. "Thank you, High Priest, for your time and words. I will be sure to take them to heart."

The Priest said nothing in return, simply bowing to the Prince as he made his way out. Once the Prince was gone, the old man gazed up at the ceiling, and wondered…

_**

* * *

**_

Damn humans. He had forgotten why he hated them.

They were so _stupid – _particularly when they closed something on his_ wing. _That was like twisting their wrist hard enough that the tendons stretched too much. Stupid, _stupid, _humans.

And yet…

Something about this human, with its soft blue eyes and feminine appearance, struck a chord in his heart. Maybe it was that its eyes reminded him painfully of Dee's, or the sadness that openly radiated from the human made him pity it.

He tilted his eyes back to the human's bed, where the pale figure was sleeping. His bright eyes shone on the figure like a pair of headlights – considering how sensitive most humans were to light, he was mildly surprised that the human didn't wake up.

He shifted in his seat on the windowsill, looking back out at the sky. The window was firmly locked, and in his weakened state, he couldn't wrench it open. If he had his sword, he might've been able to open it… then again, he wouldn't have been able to get very far – the human's room was in a tower, far off the ground, and with his wings bound…

He shoved those thoughts away, shuttering. The idea of jumping and falling was a nightmare he didn't want to go through, _thank you very much_.

What he needed to do was gain more information. By now, he had gleaned and translated enough speech to understand what the humans were saying, and probably enough to speak to the humans. He couldn't be sure – but if he _was _able to speak the human's language, it would help his plan go faster.

What he needed was to get the human's trust, if he hadn't gained it already. With the human's trust, he could persuade the human to find Galaxia. With his sword, he might be able to get the strap off his wings, and with his wings free, he could escape to the forest and wait for his full strength to come back.

He'd have to be careful, though – the humans were stupid, but they might figure out that he was stringing them along like puppets. And, unfortunately, the humans were larger than him, and (at the moment) stronger. He'd rather not be on their bad side, honestly – they could, very quickly, decide to throw him off a cliff or something of the like.

He sighed quietly, raising a shaking hand to rub his forehead under his mask. His skin felt unusually warm – must be a side effect of being depleted of Dark Matter. He didn't like it.

The human shifted in its bed, letting out a soft moan. His eyes flashed over to the human, casting a sharp gold glow over it. The human moaned again, eyes scrunching up and a hand flopping over its eyes. He quickly looked away – he had no desire to wake the human up, and possibly make it start panicking. _Stupid humans, freaking out over the smallest of things… _

The human rolled over in its sleep, moaning softly and clutching at the blankets. He shifted on his seat on the window, trying to keep the glow from his eyes off the human.

Outside, the stars sparkled in the night sky, obscured only by little trails of smoke from the huts below the castle. The moon was full and bright, turning the nearby forest and plains a silver color. It very much resembled Green Greens at night – he felt a small pang at the thought of PopStar.

He might hate PopStar, but it was as much his home as Mekkai was. And, in the long run, PopStar was better than being on this planet – at least, people knew to fear and respect him on PopStar and Mekkai.

He sighed again, casting his gaze from the sky to the ground – or rather, to the large white and brown building almost obscured by a blooming cherry tree. He thought little of the strange, near-dead human inside – what had brought his attention to the building was the gilded bow hidden inside…

He had spent enough time in a blacksmith's workshop to know his weapons – particularly ones with obvious special powers. The bow looked strikingly similar to his Galaxia – perhaps it too came from the Galactic NOVA? Could NOVA be the '_goddess_' the old human spoke of? He'd be willing to believe that – NOVA was a very prominent deity-creature in Gamble Galaxy, and some said they had found records of the Comet as far away as the Milky Way Galaxy…

_Wait a second… NOVA…?_

…

_That's it!_


	3. Chapter Three

AN: Sorry for the late update. Pumping out 3000+ words a week is a bit difficult for procrastinators. Which is why this chapter is a bit rushed.  
A tip to aspiring writers out there - if you're trying to write something serious, don't watch AFV. Writing serious stuff and semi-angst is impossible when you're laughing your guts out at a kid jumping on a trampoline and then smacking himself on the head with a random soccer ball. Which is why Meta Knight's dialog/narration is kinda silly. (By the way, since I didn't follow my usual 'line means change of POV' rule - the POV line-up is Marth-Marth-Meta. Hopefully it isn't too confusing.)  
My favorite part of this chapter? Meta Knight can't get anyone's name right.

* * *

_**Hoshi Kara Dākuboidokurīchā  
Chapter 3: Bujoku**_

Marth woke to the sound of paper shuffling, and clanks of metal on stone. He sat up, casting a glance out the window – it was light out, probably around nine or ten in the morn. He looked around, searching for the source of the sound that had woken him.

He found said source near his chair, where the little blue creature was sitting, flipping through a stack of books. The creature's bright gold eyes skimmed the book's pages quickly, flipping to the next page after a mere moment. Marth could only stare.

"Uh…? Creature…?" he stood up, eyeing the creature warily. When did it start moving…? Gold eyes snapped up at him, stared, and returned to the book.

"Yes, human?"

He nearly jumped – now it was _talking_? Not only that, but it's voice…!

"… uh…?" he stared stupidly, jaw nearly touching the ground. The creature looked up at him again, setting the book it – _he – _was reading aside. The creature jumped down from the chair, wobbling on his feet and grabbing the side of the chair to steady itself.

"_Kuso…_" the creature let go of the chair, walking over to him. The creature's walking was sluggish, and looked more like limping. How it managed to walk at all with no legs, he didn't know. It looked up at him, eyes glowing like hot coals.

"Well, human? Can all you do is stare?" the creature seemed to growl. Marth shook his head, leaning down so he was kneeling on the ground and staring the creature straight on.

"I… just… _wow._" _Wow_. He was talking with what could be his guardian angel, and all he could say was _wow. __**Stupid**__! _

The creature gave him a look, before rolling his eyes. "And here I thought you actually use 10 percent of your human brain."

_Was the creature insulting him? _"Excuse me?"

The creature waved a hand dismissingly, the other hand lifting to disappear into mask slit. The shadows covered it, before it re-emerged and hung by the creature's side. He stared at it, before returning his gaze to the creature's eyes.

"If your face is shadowed, then why can I see your eyes?" he asked – well, at least he wasn't stammering again…

The creature gave him a look. "My eyes have chemiluminescences in them."

"Chem-wha?"

"The reaction of different chemicals mixing to create a glow."

"Oh."

Silence. He shifted on his heels, occasionally glancing at the small creature. He tried to smile, offering a hand out to shake.

"I'm Prince Marth Lowell of Altea." He smiled at the creature, waiting for it to shake his hand. "Do you have a name?"

"Lord Meta Knight." The creature lifted a trembling hand, curling his large palm around Marth's small – in comparison – hand.

"You're a lord?" he wondered out-loud – this creature looked _nothing _like a lord! It was too small and too round to even be a knight… and Lord Knight? Did that even make sense? What kind of creature had a name like '_Meta Knight_' anyway?

"Of course." Meta Knight let go of the prince's hand, eyes glowing brightly. "What did you _think _I was? Someone's lost _pet?_"

From the way Meta Knight spat the word '_pet'_, he guessed the puffball was _not _happy with the way he had been treated.

He reached a hand out, poking the bell affixed to the creature's mask. "Well, you _do _have a bell around your…" did the creature even _have _a neck?

"Don't remind me." the creature growled, tugging at the bell's collar, making it jingle. Marth couldn't help but giggle – the creature, angry mask and all, was _adorable. _

Meta Knight glared at him, and growled lowly. "How would _you _like to walk around with this thing?"

"I would hate it." The prince admitted, motioning for the creature to turn around. Meta Knight gave him a look, turning and lifting his wings slightly so the bell strap was visible. The prince undid the leather knot, and pulled the bell away.

Meta Knight weakly kicked the bell, before falling flat on his backside. Marth giggled, setting the bell on a shelf. The puffball glared at him, before his eyes snapped over to the door.

"Someone's outside." The knight growled, standing up. Marth turned, staring. He hadn't heard anything… wow, the knight must have excellent hearing! Even though the puffball had no visible ears…

"Marth!"

Marth's eyes widened. _Father! _He stumbled, quickly running around the room, putting away several of his more… feminine things, such as one of Mother's dresses, and some jewelry. He shut them in a closet, locking the closet door and hiding the key under his pillow. He grabbed his clothing, and ran into the washroom.

"The door is open, Father! I'll be out in a moment!" the prince yelled over his shoulder, before closing and locking the door to his changing room.

The bedroom door opened, and the King walked in, followed by Elice. Meta Knight glanced at the tall, dark-blue-haired human, his eyes dilating and brightening.

Elice noticed the little puffball on the floor, and walked over, holding her skirts in one hand. She bent down, picking him up and sitting him up on the chair.

"Hello there, little creature. How are you today?" she cooed, patting the knight's head. His eye twitched, and he reached up to weakly push her hand away. She stared, making a soft sound of surprise. Her eyes glowed, gently brushing a hand against his.

She stared, glancing quickly at her father, who was looking at the bell on the shelf. The King picked it up, and looked over.

"Elice, bring that thing over here. It seems Marth doesn't realize he needs to put collars on his pets." The King shook the bell, making it jingle. Elice glanced back at the Knight, noticing how large the Knight's eyes had grown. He gave her a '_don't make him put that thing on me_' look.

"Sir, don't you think we should trust Marth on this? If he doesn't want this creature to wear a collar, then he has a right to that." The Princess tried to reason with her Father, who narrowed his eyes.

"Nonsense." The King walked over, grabbing the creature by its wings – Meta Knight would later deny the shrill, bat-like shriek that came from his throat. The human seemed unaffected, and tied the bell around his mask again. He weakly struggled, wings aching from the rough hand wrapped around the clawed joints.

The King dropped him, shaking his head. The puffball landed with a _clank_, eyes clouded over by the shadows in his mask slit. Elice rushed over, picking the little creature up and holding it.

The door to the changing room opened, and Marth, dressed in a gold embroidered tunic and dark blue and red cape, walked out. He immediately noticed his sister holding Meta Knight, who was fruitlessly, and weakly, tugging at the bell around his head.

"Father, what-"

"Marth, when you have a pet, you need to keep it on a leash or on a collar – it might get lost otherwise." The King interrupted, crossing his arms over his chest. Marth flinched at his Father's tone – it reminded himself of far too many occasions where the King caught him doing something he shouldn't… and as much as he wanted to argue, one doesn't argue with a King. He searched the room for a different subject to distract his Father from yelling at him.

At his Father's belt, his many swords glinted impressively in the light – the Prince noticed a new sword on his Father's belt - a gold one with a giant ruby on its hilt. The handle looked too large and too blocky for his father to hold, as if it was made for someone with large hands…

"New sword, Father?" he quickly changed subject – he had no desire to be yelled at by his Father today. Swords always made his father happy…

His Father beamed – or beamed as much as a roughened warrior could. A hand drifted to the golden sword, pulling it from its sheath – the sword itself was large, with sharp spikes on the sides. It looked well crafted, and reminded him of the Goddess' bow. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Meta Knight look up, and the knight's eyes glowed brighter.

"Isn't it beautiful? One of my soldiers gave it to me." the King admired the sword, running a hand over the blade. "It's so sharp, I sliced a 10 pound brick perfectly in half with it."

"Impressive, Father." The Prince said automatically – best keep his Father pleased… the King walked out the door, continuing his explanation of how great his new sword was, and how impressed the King of the nearby Kingdom of Hyrule would be. Marth and Elice followed, the Princess still holding onto Meta Knight.

"What happened?" Marth whispered to his sibling, who was running a glittering hand over Meta Knight's clawed wing joints – no doubt, healing him, using her sage powers.

"Father wasn't happy about the creature not wearing the bell. Grabbed it by the wings and put the bell back on." She whispered back, holding Meta Knight to her chest – Marth noticed some orange bruising around the wing joints, and how dark the Knight's eyes had grown.

"His name is Lord Meta Knight – he can _talk_, and understands us." The prince whispered, making sure to keep his voice low – he _did not _want his Father to hear that. His sister gave him a startled look, glancing from Meta Knight to her brother.

"I'll talk to you later, afterward. Not safe here." The prince explained, jerking his head in their Father's direction. She nodded, shifting her hold on Meta Knight so he was closer to her chest, and safer from their Father.

_**

* * *

**_

The 5th Day Ceremony had gone over as usual – the High Priest kept glancing at the little Knight on Elice's lap, but otherwise the day was the same as all other 5th days. Afterward, Elice took Marth and Meta Knight to the Royal Library so they could talk alone.

She sat in a chair, setting Meta Knight on the table so he could look at them eye to eye. Marth sat next to his sister, leaning on his hands and staring at the knight.

"What are you, and where did you come from?" Elice started, staring at the knight. Meta Knight gave her a look, and chuckled.

"No 'Hello, my name is…'? And here I believed you two were fairly intelligent for your species and culture…" the knight's tone was sarcastic. It quickly returned to his typical, polite tone. "I am Lord Meta Knight – I am a Batty-Batamon hybrid, and I hail from PopStar. Take me to your leader."

The knight chuckled at that last sentence, and the royal siblings stared in confusion. The knight gave them both looks, and rolled his eyes.

"Why are you here?" Elice continued, her bright eyes focused on the small knight.

"It's all questions with you humans, isn't it?" the knight sneered, before sighing. "I came here by accident, Miss… Alice?"

"Princess Elice. How did you get here?"

"Miss Elita. I came here through means you wouldn't understand – I can assure you, it was purely by accident. The likelihood of landing on this planet was just as low as landing on any other planet in this Galaxy."

The siblings looked at each other, then at the knight. "Galaxy…?"

The knight blinked. "You don't know what a Galaxy is? ... Do you know what a star is?"

"The spirits of our ancestors in the Goddess' domain, of course." Elice answered – Marth said nothing. His talk with the High Priest about what may lay beyond the sky left him wondering.

Meta Knight stared at them for a few seconds. "You're kidding… right?"

The Royal Siblings said nothing. After a few moments, the knight fell over laughing. His laughter was almost maniacal, quite shrill, and a bit on the frightening side. The knight rolled back onto his backside after a while, still cackling.

"You humans are so… _stupid!_" he cackled, eyes flashing in mirth. "All this talk of non-existent deities and 'Goddesses' and 'spirits' is so _ridiculous!_"

Elice stared, before she narrowed her eyes and stood up. For a woman, she could be incredibly intimidating – her eyes and hands could glow at will. Meta Knight seemed unaffected, his own eyes brightening – no doubt, the knight was taunting her.

Marth stood, placing a hand on his sister's shoulder, trying to calm her down. It would do no-one any good if the two got into a fight… Luckily for him, the door to the library opened, distracting his sister.

A servant stood outside the door, holding a tea tray - he recognized the servant as his sister's personal assistant.

"Your Highness, Elice… I brought tea…" the servant had a very quiet voice, and downcast eyes. Elice sighed, casting an angry glare at Meta Knight, before sitting down in her chair and motioning for the servant to set the tray on the table. The servant followed suit, placing it down, occasionally glancing up at Meta Knight curiously. He watched the servant girl, eyes following her as she left.

After the servant left, Elice sighed again and picked up a teacup. She sipped at the tea, letting out a long exhale. Marth reached for his a cup of his own – Elice's assistant was rather good at making tea, after all – and held out the last cup for Meta Knight to take.

The knight took the cup, hands visibly trembling. The little creature spilled a few drops, but managed to lift the cup to its mask and seemed to drink. He set the cup down, seeming to take great care not to drop it or make the cup fall over.

"Better?" Marth glanced at his sister, taking his attention off the knight. She smiled gently at him, and nodded.

"Better. Mary's tea is very calming." She replied, taking another sip. Meta Knight grunted, possibly in agreement or in disagreement – Marth couldn't tell. But the knight took another sip of his tea, and made a sound akin to a hum.

"Do they have tea where you come from, Meta Knight?" Elice looked up at the small knight, who apparently reopened his eyes (the knight's eyes had momentarily disappeared in the inky blackness of his mask slit) and looked directly at her, carefully setting his cup back down.

"In a way." The knight nodded his head, letting out another hum. "It tastes different, but it's still tea."

Elice smiled, setting her own cup on the table. "That's nice to hear – at least we have something in common."

"A planet without tea is a bland one, indeed." The knight agreed with her, previously snarky attitude apparently soothed by a simple cup of sweet black tea. Marth smiled, bringing his own cup up to drink. Perhaps that was the way to understand this strange creature – talk to him over a cup of warm tea.

"Anyway, as I was saying… I suspect I'm very far away from my planet – but I'm not sure how far it is, exactly." The knight continued, ignoring the fact that he had actually been insulting their religion before Elice's servant came into the room.

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Marth finally said something, looking up.

"Help me with what?" the knight locked eyes with him, piercing golden eyes seeming to stare right through him. "It's obvious that you two know nothing of your own _solar system, _let alone whatever Galaxy this is."

"… We have Star Charts that sailors use to navigate the seas. Maybe that will help you?" he honestly didn't know what he was talking about anymore – a part of him wanted to impress Meta Knight, because the knight seemed so disproving of him… it was very much like how Marth was always trying to impress his ever-disproving Father.

"I doubt it." The knight took another long sip of his tea, before affixing his eyes on the prince. "On the other hand… I do have a question."

Elice looked up from her tea, curiosity showing on her facial features.

"Have either of you ever heard of…" the knight paused – possibly for effect, or perhaps simply searching for the right word. "… _Ginga no Shinsei_?"

The royal siblings stared at him for a few moments with confused looks on their faces. Neither had heard a language like that before – but it seemed suiting to the knight's strange accent, nonetheless.

"_Ginga… Gehla_… Galactic…" the knight was muttering to himself now, possibly trying to figure out how to repeat himself in their language. "_Shinsei… Sheh… Noah… _Nova…"

"Galactic Nova!" the tone of the knight's voice was triumphant – Marth was sure that, under that mask, the knight was grinning. "Have either of you heard of the Galactic Nova?"

He received two blank looks.

_**

* * *

**_

After that, he remained silent.

Judging by the human's blank looks, they had no idea what he was talking about. He had decided to simply remain silent and think things over – a tactic, he absentmindedly noted, that would likely become useful for the time he was trapped here. Being able to phase out and essentially disassociate was a useful skill to have.

The humans had turned to talking amongst themselves, although the male human – _Marth, was it? _– stared at him the entire time. He wasn't in denial that the human obviously had an interest in him – likely, it was simply curiosity, as humans were known to have an insatiable curiosity for the world around them.

He sighed, drawing himself from his thoughts and back into reality. Looking around, he found himself in the human's room, being cuddled by the same human who had been dominating his thoughts moments later.

"Human… let go of me. _Now._" he growled out, weakly pushing at the human's arms. The human looked down, shifting so they could look eye-to-eye. The human smiled at him, and hugged him tighter.

"Why? You weren't responding to anything earlier, and you just looked so cute…" the human giggled, nuzzling his face against his wings. He stiffened, eyes widening and face heating up.

"I am not _cute. _Let go." His voice sounded pathetic, even to himself. He inwardly seethed, face burning under his mask – _must not rip to pieces, must not rip to pieces, must not rip to pieces… _

"Yes, you're cute." The human replied, rolling him over so they faced each other. The human smiled at him, and patted his head.

"_You're cuter."_

Everything seemed to freeze for a few moments. His eyes widened, heat rushing up to his face and the ends of his wings as he realized that, _yes, _he had just said that. It was a complete accident – sometimes, he would speak before thinking _(which, logically, he knew that everyone did, but it still made him feel like an idiot)_, and it often got him in trouble.

Marx or Mars or something – _whatever the human's name was _– stared at him, eyes wide and pupils tiny. A deep, red blush had settled itself on the human's face, clashing rather horribly with his blue hair. Admittingly, the human was attractive – Mars had a softness to his face that he found vaguely enticing.

The human pushed him away, causing him to roll of the bed and smack face-first onto the floor. He looked up, rubbing his masked forehead, eyes narrowing. He looked over the side of the bed, eyes focusing on the human's back – at some point, probably after he got shoved off the bed, the human had rolled over, facing away from him.

"What's the matter… Marx?" he asked, curious. Now, whatever had he done wrong? Human were rather… 'sensual' and 'love'-oriented creatures – surely, the human was used to being flirted with by now.

"Meta Knight, you're male, right?" the human didn't look back at him, voice quiet and wavering. He tilted his head slightly, pulling himself onto the bed and sitting down.

"In a manner of speaking… yes, I am male." Batamon and Humans weren't very similar, physically speaking. He wasn't 'male' in the same way that Mars was, but… still, he was, as Axe might say, '_a dude if I ever saw one_'. Whatever that meant.

"Then don't say things like that." Was the human _actually _upset at him? Jeez, he would have never pegged Martha as something of a prude or unflirty, considering how he acted sometimes.

"Why not?" And it wasn't as if he was a flirt, anyway – hell, the only person he actually really cared for was Dee, and they weren't really in _that _sort of relationship with her… then again, there was that one time he made a rather... sensual comment about one of Dedede's assistants, but that was only to piss Dedede off. It had worked wonders – Dedede's expression was _priceless. _

"_Why not?_" Marx looked up suddenly, glaring at him. The human's eyes had a pink tint to them, and his face was still beat red. "Mendon't flirt with other men! It's… it's…!"

"Unholy? Disgusting? Disturbing?" so, the human culture here was homophobic? Well, that seemed to make sense – _not that it made sense in the first place - _considering how religious they seem. "Not so – I don't pretend to understand how you humans prefer things, but in the end, does gender actually matter?"

Marna was silent, having turned his head away from him. He watched as the human got up, still silent, and walk into the adjoining room, closing the door behind him. He stared at the door, before sighing. He hopped off the bed, spreading his wings to glide over to the chair –

Only to remember that his wings were bound.

He heard the door to the adjoining room open, and he was sure that the human was staring at him. He didn't bother getting up – his face was hurting, and he felt too weak to move from his face-down position on the floor.

"You deserved that." The human's tone was smug. He, in proper Vul-inspired response, flipped Mars off.


End file.
